Chu Xiaoxiao bit her lip, feeling wronged. She did plan to buy a second-hand car, but this car was a gift from Lin Fan, and she really liked it, so she didnât refuse.
But her mom didnât care whether she liked it or not; she just worried about the money.
She didnât blame her mom. Her mom was supporting the family alone, which was indeed very tough. Her dad refused to work and stayed at home all day, while her brother was sick and needed medical expenses every month.
"Mom, I actually didnât spend money on this car. Iâll give you the 500 bucks." Chu Xiaoxiao said, taking out five red bills from her backpack.
He Meifang was stunned: "You really didnât spend any money? Then where did you get this car?"
Chu Xiaoxiao blushed and didnât want to tell her mom that it was a gift from Lin Fan, so she said, "Just donât ask, the money is all here."
Chu Xiaoxiao put down the 500 bucks and turned to go home.
"Wait a minute." He Meifang quickly put away the money and stopped Chu Xiaoxiao.
Chu Xiaoxiao stopped in her tracks: "Whatâs up, mom?"
He Meifang waved her hand: "Forget it, letâs talk at home."
Chu Xiaoxiao frowned: "Mom, whatâs going on?"
He Meifang said: "Thereâs something your dad and I have decided. We planned to tell you when you got home. This isnât the place to talk. Youâd better ask your dad when youâre home!"
"Oh." Chu Xiaoxiao walked home a bit puzzled, thinking her momâs demeanor suggested it wasnât anything good.
Chu Xiaoxiaoâs home was an old house in the inner city. It was very rundown, with only two rooms and a cramped space.
Because her brother Chu Xiaoming was sick, he lay in one room all year long, and her dad was in there taking care of him. She and her mom lived in the other room.
As soon as she entered the house, she smelled the scent of herbal medicine brewed for her brother.
Alas, her brotherâs illness had been treated with numerous medicines but never seemed to improve.
"Cough cough..."
The room echoed with the sound of a boy coughing.
"Xiaoxiao, youâre back?" A man heard the commotion and called from the room.
It was her dad Chu Yuanhangâs voice.
Chu Xiaoxiao replied: "Hmm, Iâm back."
She placed her backpack down and walked into her brotherâs room, where a frail-looking boy was lying on the bed, roughly thirteen or fourteen years old. He was emaciated from the illness and looked very haggard.
Beside the bed was a bald middle-aged man feeding him medicine, her dad Chu Yuanhang.
Every time Chu Xiaoxiao saw her brother, she couldnât help but feel a pang of heartache, and it was hard to watch.
"Sister, youâre back." The boy said happily, clearly fond of his sister.
Chu Xiaoxiao smiled: "Yes, Mingming, are you feeling any better today?"
Chu Xiaoming shook his head: "Still the same."
Chu Xiaoxiao sighed inwardly and said: "Dad, mom said you both agreed on something. She asked me to come back and ask you. What is it?"
Chu Yuanhang said: "Hmm, letâs talk outside."
Chu Yuanhang put down the bowl, stood up, and walked into the living room with Chu Xiaoxiao, closing the door behind him.
"Dad, whatâs so secretive?" Chu Xiaoxiao asked curiously.
Chu Yuanhang said: "Itâs like this, Xiaoxiao. Our family is out of money because of your brotherâs illness. We donât know where to find the medical expenses for next month. Weâve thought about it and thereâs only one way to save your brotherâitâs you."
Chu Xiaoxiao was startled: "How do I save him?"
Chu Yuanhang said: "Your mom and I have arranged a marriage for you. The other party has agreed to give us 300,000 in gift money. For your brotherâs sake, you should get married quickly and stop going to school. Your school fees are exorbitant; Iâve never supported you going there. Plus, it would save us a ton of money."
"What?"
Chu Xiaoxiaoâs expression changed drastically, it was like a bolt from the blue!
Meanwhile, Lin Fan was driving back to Tangchen Yipin to rest. He needed to stay in the city as he had promised to have dinner at Loliâs house.
On the way, Lin Fan received a call from Aunt Li.
"Little Fan, whatâs going on? Jingjing just came over and gave you quite a scolding." Aunt Li said.
Lin Fan chuckled: "Nothing much, just didnât work out. Aunt Li, what did she say?"
Aunt Li said: "She called you a vile man and said you had a girlfriend. Little Fan, do you really have a girlfriend? How come Aunt doesnât know?"
Lin Fan said: "Hmm, I was actually on a date with someone else today, and I succeeded in confessing. Zhu Jing may be mad about that. Aunt Li, you donât need to put effort into finding dates for me anymore."
Aunt Li said: "Oh, so thatâs how it is. Alright, Iâm happy youâve found a girlfriend. Bring her over to meet Aunt if you have time."
"Okay." Lin Fan replied with a smile.
After hanging up from Aunt Liâs call, Lin Fan breathed a sigh of relief. He had finally used his game plan as a shield, and Aunt Li wouldnât need to introduce him to blind dates anymore.
Just as he put the phone down, it rang again. It was Loli calling.
"Officer sister?" Lin Fan answered the call.
Loli asked: "Where are you now? My mom says you should come over early for dinner today."
Lin Fan said: "Iâm in the city."
Loli said: "Then why donât you head to the entrance of Fumin District to wait for me? Iâm about to finish work."
Lin Fan said: "Okay."
After ending the call, Lin Fan headed towards Fumin District.
Police station.
Loli had already reached the entrance of the police station, ready to leave, but she was still thinking about a case she had been working on today.
In a convenience store, two robbers were subdued by a customer. This customer was so fierce that one of the robbers was knocked out with ten beer bottles, and the other was in much worse shape. The female store clerk said the customerâs grip crushed his fists.
She wanted to look at the surveillance footage, but unfortunately, the cameras were broken.
"Little Wang, follow up for me. Send me the footage after itâs repaired," Loli instructed her partner, Little Wang, then left the police station.
She didnât want to leave work so early, but her motherâs orders couldnât be defied. When her mom heard Lin Fan was coming for dinner, she had already gone shopping for groceries.
Fumin District.
Loliâs family lived in this neighborhood.
Lin Fan arrived outside Fumin District and parked the car at the side, waiting for Loli.
Lin Fan got out of the car and leaned against the hood, quietly waiting. Passersby couldnât help but be drawn to the luxury car, casting envious glances.
Especially the women, who couldnât resist looking over, appearing quite intrigued.
Finally, a tall and self-assured beauty couldnât help but approach Lin Fan.
"Handsome, this car is so beautiful. Is it yours?" The beauty teased, her eyes flirting.
Lin Fan hadnât expected that even standing here waiting could attract women.
Being handsome and rich truly made a difference.
If he were leaning against an electric car rather than a Kosak, heâd likely go unnoticed. But a top-tier luxury car was different; it was a symbol of status and wealth, drawing women in automatically.
Lin Fan glanced at the beauty: "Yes, itâs mine."
The beauty was thrilled: "Can I take a photo with you?"
Without waiting for an answer, she took out her phone and leaned close to Lin Fan for a selfie.
Lin Fan smelled the fragrance from the beauty and felt her soft body, but he didnât mind.
"Handsome, I think thereâs something missing from your car." The beauty smiled.
Lin Fan asked: "Whatâs missing?"
The beauty giggled: "Missing me. Should I sit where I belong?"
Lin Fan sweated. Todayâs women were so straightforward. Seeing a handsome guy with a luxury car, they skipped the formalities and wanted to get in directly.
Just then, two middle-aged women walked by carrying baskets.
One of the aunties spotted Lin Fanâs car and Lin Fan, exclaiming: "Isnât this Loliâs boyfriend? Whoâs that little vixen beside him? No way, could he be a jerk?"
That auntie was the same Aunt Song they met when Lin Fan and Loli went to eat.
The other middle-aged woman was Loliâs mom.
At this moment, Lin Fan saw them and recognized Aunt Song.
After Aunt Song pointed out Lin Fanâs identity, Loliâs momâs expression turned sour.
Lin Fan smiled bitterly inwardly. This wasnât good. She must have misunderstood.